During operation of an engine, a high temperature exhaust gas is generated. The high temperature exhaust gas flows from a cylinder to an exhaust manifold via an exhaust elbow. The exhaust elbow is disposed in a top deck area. The top deck area also acts as a reservoir for a coolant of the engine.
The temperature of the exhaust gas is substantially greater than that of the coolant in the reservoir. This may result in a large thermal gradient between the exhaust gas within the exhaust elbow and the coolant within the top deck area. Hence, welds used to attach the exhaust elbow to the top deck area may tend to fail or crack. The coolant from the reservoir may leak from the cracks developed in the welds. This may cause deficiency of the coolant from the engine, leading to a failure of a cooling system of the engine due to overheating.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,049 discloses a water jacket for a cylinder head. The water jacket includes at least two exhaust ports configured to exhaust combusted gases from a cylinder. The water jacket also defines a lower path, a higher path, and a central path. The higher path is configured for circulating cooling fluid above the at least two exhaust ports. The lower path is configured for circulating cooling fluid below the at least two exhaust ports. Also, the central path fluidly couples the lower path to the higher path. The central path also separates the at least two exhaust ports from one another. The central path is also configured for circulating cooling fluid between said at least two exhaust ports. A restricted portion is formed in the lower path on one side of said central path. The restricted portion is configured to restrict flow through the restricted portion of the lower path, thereby forcing cooling fluid through the central path.